On April 29, 2024, Richard S. Cooper, the renowned cardiologist and internationally respected epidemiologist, died at 78 years of age in an unfortunate accident. An emeritus professor of the Department of Public Health Sciences at Loyola University, Chicago, he previously worked at Northwestern University (1976-1981) and Cook County Hospital (1978-1989), both also located in Chicago. During his academic career, he was awarded countless grants and awards. His research focused on cardiovascular disease prevention, particularly on the study of risk factors, both classic (hypertension, obesity, and diabetes mellitus) and genetic, as well as on the influence of socioeconomic inequalities and ethnoracial factors on cardiovascular mortality in the United States and Africa. He published numerous studies and books on this topic.
His relationship with the Spanish Society of Cardiology dates back to 2007, when he was the guest speaker at the national congress celebrated by the Society in Madrid in that year. His talk “New developments in the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of hypertension” was enthusiastically received by the conference attendees. In 2008, he spent a sabbatical year in Valencia as visiting professor of the Chair of Biomedicine at the University of Valencia, sponsored by Fundación BBVA. During this stay, he collaborated on the ESCARVAL-RISK study, designed to build cardiovascular epidemiology maps of the Valencian Community. This cohort study analyzed the relationship of risk factors with total mortality and the incidence of coronary heart disease and stroke and led to the development of a cardiovascular risk score. Numerous publications were derived from this research, which were coauthored with distinguished cardiologists from our Society, such as Ginés Sanz and Vicente Bertomeu.
I was fortunate to meet him during my stay in the United States and our friendship persisted throughout the years. He was an affable and approachable person, always willing to help out. He cherished his family and loved bike trips, both in Valencia, when he lived there, and in Door County (Wisconsin), where he delighted in the autumnal colors. We would like to take this opportunity to send our deepest condolences to his family and friends. Rest in peace.